


Bloodsucker

by subdivisions



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-06-02 23:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6588337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subdivisions/pseuds/subdivisions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yeah, he's a vampire, but you're too nice for your own good.<br/>AU with vampires and werewolves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A chime rings out into the night as you step out of the drugstore and onto the sidewalk, echoing sadly behind you as you step away from the building and start towards home. A plastic bag dangles from your fingers, heavy with bags of candy. It isn’t the healthiest way to nurse your disappointment, but it’s going to be your way tonight.

It’s been a long week. You’ve finally moved into your own place. At first, you’d been so happy and excited - and you still are. Your cute little townhouse is perfect for you, and all your friends and family have given you amazing housewarming gifts. Your disappointment comes from the fact that you’d gotten a call earlier today telling you that, unfortunately, you were being let go from your job.

You know other opportunities would come your way, sure. But you’ve been working at this place for some time now - you had started way back during college and gone through a promotion or two since then - and as far as you understand you haven’t done anything wrong. Someone higher than you just wanted to give your position to a relative - a nephew, or a cousin or something. You’ve told your parents and they’ve agreed to pay your rent for the time being, but you don’t want to be beholden or a burden to them for too long. 

You continued your walk home, feeling heavy and weary even though you haven’t been doing anything but lying around feeling sorry for yourself. For a moment, you think you hear the sound of footsteps behind you, and that makes you falter for a moment, but you just continue on your way. You just want to get home, flop onto your bed, and eat gummy worms while binge-watching an anime or something off Netflix or Hulu.

But then you lift your head. Someone _is_ walking behind you. Suddenly you’re very aware of your surroundings and situation. You’re a young woman walking alone late at night. You’re the perfect target for a lot of people… and a lot of creatures. Your house isn’t too terribly far away, but you suddenly wish that you’d driven to the corner store instead of walked. 

You take a deep breath. Someone’s walking behind you. That doesn’t mean you’re about to get jumped by anyone - or any _thing_. Still, you start walking faster.

The person behind you picks up the pace as well.

You’re beginning to panic. You _are_ being followed. Glimpses of things you were taught in middle school and Tumblr posts on self-defense that you scrolled past a little too quickly fly through your mind. What do you do? Start running? Call someone? 

“Um - excuse me?”

You turn around a little too quickly. You really hadn’t expected your potential attacker to call out to you. But the man standing behind you isn’t what you expected at all.

He’s tall, and lanky. Tufts of curly brown hair are ballooning out from under a New York Giants toboggan; you’re distracted by the pom-pom on top for half a second. He’s wearing brown jacket - too thick for this mild night - and holey jeans, and his chin is covered in the stubbley beginnings of a beard. A raggedy backpack is hanging off one shoulder.

Quite frankly, he looks homeless.

“Can I help you? Why are you following me?” you blurt all at once. He lifts up his hands and smiles disarmingly, but you catch a glimpse of sharp teeth and pure fear shoots through you.

“I just need some help,” he says, looking dismayed as you take a few steps back. “I’m just - I’m really hungry, and - “

“You’re a _vampire.”_ The word is accusing as it leaves your mouth. “And you’re hungry? I’m not about to be your dinner - “

The man looks upset. “Wait, wait! Just hear me out! I’m not into - I can’t - drinking human blood isn’t my thing, okay? I was a human myself, until recently.”

You’re not entirely convinced, but you’ll listen. Still, you remained poised to run.

“Just the thought of drinking human blood makes me sick,” he explains. “Because of that, I haven’t eaten in - well, since I was turned. I’ve got no money, and you’re the first person that’s even listened to me in all this time, and if you would just give me some… I don’t know. Raw meat’ll do. Anything.”

He sounds so pitiful, and now that you’ve heard this much of his story, you can’t possibly turn him away. And if you didn’t help him, you’d be responsible if he lost his shit and went on a killing spree. You _know_ it’s probably a bad idea, but…

“…Okay,” you say. He looks as if he might just melt in relief. “Come on. I’ve got some steaks you can have.”

He’s beaming like an excited child as he trots to catch up with you and walk by your side. You try not to look at his sharp canines. 

“Thank you _so_ fucking much. I mean - thank you. Really.” He pauses. “I’m Danny, by the way.”

“My name’s Y/N,” you mutter. 

The two of you walk in silence for a moment, and Danny seems bothered by it. Eventually he says, “I guess I should explain what happened - how I got turned. I mean, if you care to hear it.”

You have to admit that you’re curious. “Sure, I’ll listen.”

“It wasn’t long ago, like I said. I was in an accident. A really bad one. Like, I wasn’t gonna make it.” He doesn’t go into detail on the accident, but you don’t say anything. “And long story short, I was turned without my consent.”

“That’s…” You don’t want to say _awful,_ because it feels like a statement about vampirism as a whole, but he says it for you.

“Awful? Yeah. It sounds bad to say it, but they should’ve let me die.” His face darkens briefly. “Anyway, I have way too many human friends and, like, I felt like a danger to them. So I left. It sounds dumb, but like… I didn’t ask for this, and I was so mad and upset, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hurt them, so I just left. But my… well, the people who decided to turn me, they’re not exactly happy with that decision.”

“Are they… _chasing_ you?” you ask, a little incredulously. It sounds like something out of a book…

“Well… yes.” When you glance behind you as if to check if someone _else_ is following you, he rushes to clarify. “I mean, they were. But I haven’t had any run-ins with them in a while, so I think it’s okay.”

You’re a little nervous. Maybe it _was_ a bad idea to help this guy. But you’re in too deep, now…

At your front door, you turn to him. “I’m still kinda moving in, so… excuse my mess.”

“I don’t mind,” he says happily, and you unlock the door and motion for him to enter.

He hovers nervously in the entryway for a moment as you toss your keys on a nearby sofa table and kick off your shoes. You motion for him to do the same, and he quickly obliges, reaching up to pull off his hat as he does so. More wild curls tumble out, freed from their knitted confines. 

You go into the kitchen and he awkwardly follows you. “Have a seat.”

He plops down at your kitchen table, piled high with half-unpacked boxes of kitchenware, and drops his bag at his feet, watching you as you go to the refrigerator and pull out a steak, still in its packaging. He’s practically salivating as you turn to him. “So, um… I’m sure you don’t want to eat it ice-cold or anything so I’m gonna, like… I don’t know, pop this in the oven for a few minutes. Just to warm it up.”

There’s a wild hunger in his eyes that you don’t think was there before, but he just nods eagerly. “Oh, yeah. Sure.”

Still, there’s an impatience in him as the oven preheats, as you take the steak out of its packaging, as put it on a pan and toss it in the oven. Even after you close the oven door, he’s staring at it. You push a set of heirloom silverware out of the way - a gift from an aunt, you think - and lean against the counter, watching him. He must be seriously hungry. You’ve heard about vampiric hunger, and you think he must be pretty strong to keep it together like this.

That makes you gulp nervously. You hope he can continue to keep it together, at least until the steak is a little warm.

“So…” you start slowly, dragging out the word until he actually looks at you. “Are you gonna just… keep running from these guys forever?”

“Not… not forever.” Danny looks uncertain.

“Where are you going next?”

“I don’t know. I don’t really think out that far. I just kinda… go from one town to the next.”

You sigh heavily. You _know_ you’re making a mistake, but… “You can stay the night and figure out what you’re gonna do next in the morning.”

Danny’s face goes blank for a second, as if he doesn’t understand you. And the, an odd mixture of relief and sheepishness crosses his face. “Oh, no - you don’t have to put yourself out for my sake…”

“It’s no trouble. You can crash on the couch.”

Danny sinks into his seat and you know he hasn’t had anything as soft as a couch to sleep on in some time. As you reach to take the steak out of the oven - still raw, but warm now - you feel a pang of sympathy. Vampires really do get a bad rap. He deserves a nice place to sleep, even if just for a night. And -

“ - And you can use the shower,” you add, moving his steak to a plate. 

He doesn’t say thank you as you set the steak, along with a fork and knife, before him, but his smile is thanks enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I started a new story at probably the worst possible time! Expect erratic updates on this and Subdivisions because I'm in the home stretch before summer starts and I've got a lot of final projects and exams crashing down on me.  
> I'd like to point out that I'm from the south and where I live, townhouses are pretty cheap. This might not apply to the entire south, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't apply to the entire United States, but... I just wanted to give Reader a cute little townhouse. I don't know if "townhouse" has the same connotation across the board, either so... If anyone wants to clear that up for me, feel free.


	2. Chapter 2

After Danny finishes eating, you point him upstairs to the bathroom to shower, and as he moseys up the stairs he begins to hum with a cheerfulness you really wouldn’t have expected from a homeless guy who had been turned into a vampire against his will and was now being chased by the people who’d turned him. Still, his positivity is refreshing.

Once you’re alone, you lean against the kitchen counter and sigh, reaching into the bag from the drugstore and digging out the bag of gummy worms you’d bought. You tear the bag open and popped a gummy into your mouth thoughtfully. Your “plans” for the evening - crying over your lost job to the tune of candy and anime - have been effectively dashed, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Upstairs, you hear Danny start singing in the shower. He has a nice voice, and for some reason that surprises you. All in all, he really doesn’t fit the image of _vampire_ that you had always been fed. And you know that’s small-minded of you - you’ve met vampires before. Had a few vampire friends in college. Werewolves, too. They had all been normal people, really. But there had always been this underlying… _fear._ Things that your parents murmured to you as a child. Rumours passed around a middle school classroom. Things like, _vampires are dangerous because they can’t control their hunger for human blood._ And _werewolves can transform without warning and attack you because they’re volatile and have no self-control. If you have so much as a papercut around a vampire, they might attack you because the smell of blood drives them mad. Werewolves are aggressive and don’t know their own strength…_

You shake those thoughts away. You know that speciest bullshit isn’t true. It’s all just stereotypes. Still… You glance at the silverware your aunt gave you - the silverware that you should’ve put away by now, but is still laying out on your counter. It’s real silver - a vampire or werewolf’s worst nightmare. You’ll keep it out for now, just in case.

You’re not exactly up to par on your vampire and werewolf history, but you know they’ve been around for a long time. And as long as they’ve been around, humans, as they are prone to, have taken issue with their existence. Protests about nonhuman children being in the same schools as human children pop up every now and again. Debates about vampires and werewolves being treated as second-class citizens still take over the media and the government. It had always been someone else’s struggle. You can understand why Danny had been so upset about being turned. Being a vampire comes with a lot of social baggage.

You’re no expert on vampires, either, but you know it comes with a lot of physical baggage, too. The hunger, for one. Vampires don’t need to feed very often, and they have more options than the general human populace seems to be aware of - as Danny has clearly demonstrated, they can eat raw meat with no problems. But when they _do_ need to feed, it is apparently a hunger like no other. And Danny had said he hadn’t had anything to eat since he was turned, and you have no clue how long it’s been since he turned… Now that you think about it, you were really taking a gamble on his self-control. 

“Hey, uh… Y/N?”

You nearly jump out of your skin at the sound of Danny’s voice. He’s standing awkwardly in the entrance to the kitchen in a white T-shirt and boxers, one of your towels draped over his shoulders. 

“Just, uh, wanted to say thanks again. I’m gonna, y’know, try to get some sleep.” He scratches the back of his neck. “Operative word being _try._ Apparently us bloodsuckers don’t need much sleep.”

You wish you could empathise with him better, but you really have no way of putting yourself in his shoes. You roll down the top of the bag of gummy worms in your hand and set it on the counter. “I should get some sleep, too… I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Gotta start job-hunting again.” Seeing the curiosity in his face, you explain, “I lost my job to an old-fashioned case of nepotism today.”

“That’s rough, man. And you still helped me even though you’re having a hard time?”

You shrug. “It was the right thing to do, I guess.”

“You guess?” Danny repeats, laughing a little. “Well, I’m glad there are people like you out there. The few people who have helped me have made this all a lot easier.”

“I don’t mean to, like, get in your business or anything but…” You hesitate. “These people who are chasing you - will they hurt you if they catch you?”

“Even if they were going to, they’d have a pretty hard time,” Danny replies, a touch of amusement in his tone. “It takes a lot more to hurt me than it used to. But they wouldn’t hurt me. They just… want me to go back with them.”

“Go back where?”

You might have pried a little too much. Danny fidgets anxiously. “Um…”

“Sorry - it’s none of my business.” You quickly back off. “We should both be getting to bed. Tomorrow, you can figure everything out. You don’t even have to leave until the sun sets. I know that daytime can be a little rough on you guys.”

He smiles thankfully and turns, moving into the living room as you head up the stairs. You pause halfway up, looking back down at him as he wraps himself up in the throw blanket on your couch and sinks into the cushions.

“If you need anything, let me know,” you call down. He responds with a lazy wave, and you continue on up the stairs.

You’re halfway under your blankets when you think about the silverware. You should’ve brought a piece up with you… But, no. If Danny intended to hurt you, he’s had plenty of opportunities.

Even though there’s a stranger sleeping on your couch, you sleep surprisingly well, if only for an hour or two. A noise outside startles you from your slumber, and for a moment you just lay there half-awake in the darkness, wondering if there’s some new threat lurking outside your home. A robber, or even one of Danny’s pursuers… 

It’s probably just a stray animal. You doze off for a few more minutes and then you’re roused again by a new noise. This one sounds a little closer. _Inside,_ closer.

You’re being paranoid, you tell yourself. But you still get up and go downstairs to check the locks.

Danny is fast asleep on the couch. You can’t help but smile; as rough as his story sounded, he deserved a good night’s sleep. You quickly check the front door - locked - and then the back - unlocked. You quickly lock it, then run through the house to make sure nothing is out of place or there’s no would-be robber lying in wait, but nothing’s out of the ordinary. As you thought, you were just being paranoid. New homeowner jitters, or something. You just forgot to lock the back door, that’s all. To calm your nerves, you go to the kitchen to get a drink of water before returning to bed.

You open the fridge and reach for the water pitcher, and then you pause. 

Something doesn’t feel quite right. Like something’s out of place. 

You close the fridge and turn.

“Oh,” you say, in a very tiny voice.

Standing just a few feet away is a hulking figure, and in the moonlight streaming in through the kitchen window you can see that the fur covering every inch of their body is a deep, rich brown. A black nose on the end of a dog-like snout twitches, and glowing eyes stare wide-eyed at you - as if they, too, have no clue what to do in the face of this very non-threatening human woman.

A very canine whimper escapes the werewolf. And a very human scream escapes _you._

You stumble backwards, still screaming, but your back hits the refrigerator. The werewolf lifts their hands in a distinctly human gesture - _wait, calm down,_ you sense they’re trying to convey. The problem is, you don’t really care what they want to say. _There’s a werewolf in your kitchen._

It’s worth noting that there’s a vampire in your living room. Aforementioned vampire comes skidding into your kitchen at high speed. “What’s - “

And then Danny, too, sees the werewolf, and he freezes in the doorway. You’re not screaming anymore, but you’re breathing hard, eyes locked on the werewolf. The werewolf, on the other hand, has turned their attention from you to Danny. They take a step towards him, and Danny takes a step back, lifting his hands.

“Arin,” Danny says, “it’s been a while.”

The werewolf grunts, then growls lowly, lips curling as if to form words. He moves towards Danny again, but Danny shakes his head.

“No way in hell, buddy. I’m not coming back.”

He’s one of the people that’s chasing Danny, you realise. He’s also a massive fucking werewolf, and he’s in your home. Not only is Danny in danger - you don’t know to what lengths these people will go to make him come with them - but _you’re_ in danger. You look from the werewolf - who is moving as if to pounce - and then to Danny - who’s bracing himself for the coming impact - and then your eyes fall to the heirloom silverware on the counter.

With a very unimpressive battlecry, you start chucking spoons at the werewolf in your kitchen.

And the werewolf reels with the most pitiful yelp you’ve ever heard. You almost - _almost -_ feel bad. Danny leaps back from the flying utensils, alarmed. You just keep pitching forks, spoons, and knives at the thing, and to your surprise, the werewolf is _shrinking._ He’s returning to his human form.

With a half-sob half-howl, the werewolf scrambles up onto the kitchen counter, shedding fur and trying to avoid your rain of kicthen implements. In an act of pure desperation, he scrambles to open the kitchen window with hands, not claws, and then throws himself through it. You hear what is definitely a very human grunt as he hits the ground on the other side, followed by increasingly distant doggish whimpers.

There’s a moment of silence, broken only by your panting. Your kitchen is _covered_ in dog fur. The floor is littered with silverware. Danny’s staring at it, as repulsed by it as the werewolf that just went out the window.

And then you round on Danny with a knife in one hand and a fork in the other.   
“What the _fuck_ just happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun with this chapter. Next few chapters might be a little more serious, though... Exploring some of Danny's backstory, maybe? We'll see.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a flashback.

It’s in a parking lot, mostly empty. Late at night. Everyone’s all high on the laughter and silliness of karaoke. A little buzzed, maybe.

He came out of fucking nowhere. Some new-ass wolf, probably transforming for the first time in his life, full of a rage and power he’d never known before. Didn’t know how to deal with it, had no fucking clue how to stop it, nobody around to try and control him.

He announces his presence by leaping down from somewhere above. The roof of a car crumpled beneath his weight, glass exploding outwards, and Brian immediately looks to the others - to Danny, Arin, Barry, Suzy, and Ross - and then back at the wild-eyed, snarling beast before them.

“Fuck!” Arin grabs Suzy’s hand. “Fucking run!”

Everyone takes off in the opposite direction, but Ross and Danny - they’re only human. They can only run so fast. Brian glances back just in time to see Ross get swatted to the side by the back of a massive claw, and he skids to a stop.

And Danny - _fucking_ Danny, always doing the right thing - he stops, too, and changes direction to help Ross. The werewolf zeroes in on him. Brian’s feet are glued to the asphalt. “ _Danny - !”_

The wolf is looming over Danny in seconds. Danny looks up. Ross screams something. _Everybody’s_ screaming something. Brian can’t breathe.

Four claws tear through Danny like paper. Straight through him. In through his gut and out through his back. Red blossoms on the back of his shirt. 

Somewhere behind Brian, an anguished scream turns into a crazed roar. The werewolf drops Danny and he just lays there, and a fully-transformed Arin goes tearing past Brian - Brian, who still cannot move. Arin slams into the other werewolf hard, forcing him away from Danny. Danny, who’s just laying there.

Life comes back to Brian’s legs and he starts walking, then running, and then he’s on his knees in a puddle of warm blood, hands hovering over Danny, too afraid to touch him and not knowing where to touch. And then, Brian takes Danny’s face in both hands and turns it towards him. There’s blood on his lips. There’s blood, so much blood, everywhere. For the first time in his life, Brian is repulsed by the sight of it. 

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Ross stumbling towards him, arms wrapped around himself.

“You fucking idiot, you’re a goddamn moron, what the hell were you thinking,” Ross is babbling. His words are strained, both with tears and the pain of broken ribs. “You should’ve just fucking _run._ ”

Suzy comes running up, and past her goes Barry all covered in fur to Arin and the other werewolf. Someone has to stop Arin before he kills the guy, after all.

But Danny.

Danny doesn’t seem to hear him. He’s looking up at Brian and his big brown eyes are full of fear and pain as shaking, bloody fingers rise to touch the hands cupping his face. Every breath is short and choking. Someone - either Suzy or Ross - says something about calling an ambulance. Brian knows an ambulance won’t make it in time. Danny’s going to die. He’s going to bleed to death and he’s going to die. He’s going to die a painful, stupid death at the hands of some nameless werewolf.

“Brian,” Danny gasps, and there’s so much in those two syllables.

Instinct takes over. Brian grabs Danny’s hand, lifts his wrist to his mouth. At the sight of sharp teeth, Danny’s already strangled breath catches in his throat.

“Don’t,” he whispers. Brian hesitates. Looks up at Suzy. At Barry, human again who is supporting a weak-kneed Arin. At Ross. Back at Danny, whose breathing is growing shallower and shallower, whose eyes are staring at him but aren’t seeing him anymore.

And Brian makes a decision.

He bites down hard on Danny’s wrist.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna be clear about vampirism in this story: it doesn't matter where a person is bitten, just that a certain amount of "venom," I guess we'll call it, gets into the bloodstream. So as long as you bite into a vein or artery for long enough, that person is gonna turn.  
> Sorry for the short chapter, but I felt this is where I needed to stop.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still a flashback.

It is warm, quiet, and dark. Danny wonders simply if he is dead.

But no - he is far too _aware_ to be dead. And if he were dead, he would not feel this burning ache across his chest, stomach, and back. His whole body would not be weak with exhaustion. But he’s swaddled in warmth and cradled in softness all the same. And he can hear voices talking, distant but clear as day.

Danny opens his eyes to dimness.

The lights are out and someone has closed the blinds and drawn the curtains, but his eyes very quickly adjust. Danny is on his side in a bed - not his own. Someone has very carefully put him there and tucked more pillows than necessary around his head. It is still warm, and quiet, and dark, and Danny still wonders if maybe he is still dead.

The room’s door opens and Danny lifts his head. It’s Brian, of all people. He smiles sleepily as Brian comes to stand next to his bed.

“Brian,” he mumbles, and Brian smiles. “What’re you doin’ here?”

It’s a little sad, but he wonders if maybe the werewolf got Brian, too. Hm, the werewolf…

“How are you feeling?” Brian asks, pressing a hand to Danny’s forehead. “No fever anymore…”

“Tell me how good you feel after fuckin’ dying, dude,” Danny laughs. “I’m tired as fuck. And I’m achy.”

Brian seems to find this funny. “You’re not dead, buddy. Don’t you remember anything?”

“What do you mean, I’m not d…” And then Danny stops and his smile vanishes. Because he _does_ remember.

He remembers the werewolf, of course. Running from it, Ross falling, and then that incredible pain, and then… Brian. Brian’s face, hovering over him. Brian poised to bite his wrist, and Danny heard his own voice telling him not to.

Danny lifts his hand and looks at his wrist. Puncture wounds, still bruised, stare back. Slowly, he pushes himself upright, never tearing his eyes away from his arm.

“Brian,” he breathes, “what did you do?”

“What, did you think I was gonna let you fucking die, dude?” Brian asks incredulously. “I did what I had to - what I could. I saved your life.”

“You _turned_ me?!” Danny whips his head up to stare at Brian in disbelief. “What the fuck, dude?”

“Wh…” Brian doesn’t seem to understand. “What was I supposed to do? You were bleeding to death in front of me, Danny.”

“I literally told you not to turn me. It was literally my _dying wish._ ”

“Dude, Danny…” Brian looks legitimately hurt as he sits down on the edge of the bed. “I did it because you’re like a fuckin’ _brother_ to me, I had to do it. And the others - we’ve talked about it, and they all agree it was the right thing to do. We couldn’t imagine life without you.”

“The right thing to do,” Danny repeats. “It wasn’t your decision to make - this is _my_ life we’re talking about. I’m a fuckin’ - a goddamn _monster.”_

Brian leans back, absolutely bewildered. “What the fuck, Danny? So I’m a fucking monster? So Suzy’s a fucking monster?”

“No, that’s - that’s not what I meant…” Danny presses the heels of his hands into his eyes. 

“Oh, really? So what the fuck _did_ you mean? Fucking…” Brian stands. “And yeah, it _is_ your fucking life we’re talking about. I did this because I fucking care about you, Dan, and all you can give me is this bullshit?”

“You expect me to be _grateful?”_ Danny asks. “I mean, fuck, dude, I appreciate that you care but this isn’t what I wanted. This isn’t what I _want.”_

“What you fucking want - ?”

“I want to be _human!”_

“You want to be _dead!”_

Danny throws his legs over the side of the bed and stands. “You don’t fucking get it, dude. You’ve been like this your entire life. You’re used to all this shit - fucking… _blood_ and eating meat like a - a damn _animal - “_

“Not fucking cool, Dan.”

“ - And don’t even get me started on the way people fucking treat vampires and werewolves. People treat you like a - like you _are_ a monster.” Danny begins to pace, motioning wildly with his hands. “People are gonna be fucking _scared_ of me, dude! I can’t even step out into the sun anymore without a fucking umbrella. I can’t eat anything that I used to, I can’t fuckin’ - do you realise what you’ve done to me, Brian?”

“I saved your goddamn life, Danny, that’s what the fuck I did. What the fuck should I have done? Should I have just let you fucking die?”

There’s a pause that’s just slightly too long, and Danny knows he should have spoken by now, but he says what Brian’s expecting. “ _Yes.”_

Brian pushes him. It’s an act of anger, Danny knows this. It’s barely a push, really. And Danny’s normally not an angry person himself. Anger _isn’t_ Danny. But - and he doesn’t know if it’s because he’s already furious or not - that tiny shove sends a wave of anger through him so hot that it blinds him. Brian’s saying something else, something heated and hurt, but Danny can barely understand him. He’s never been this _fucking enraged_ before.

“I saved your fucking life and all you can say is that I should’ve let you - “

Danny grabs Brian by the front of his hoodie, lifts him up and slams him into the wall. “ ** _It’s my fucking life, you son of a bitch!”_**

Something changes. There isn’t fear in Brian’s eyes, but his whole attitude shifts in the opposite direction. “Danny, you need to calm down.”

Being told to calm down just makes it worse, kindles that hot rage that’s squeezing his heart. “ _Don’t tell me to fucking calm down.”_

“You don’t understand. You need to calm down, Danny.”

And Danny might’ve fucking lost it right then and there if an hand hadn’t come to rest on his shoulder and gently tugged him backwards. He turns and maybe something horrible was sitting on his tongue but it dies when he sees Arin, standing there wearing an expression that’s a mix of nervousness and concern, and then Barry behind him with the same look in his eyes. Suzy is standing in the doorway, watching stiffly. And then Danny looks at Brian and his hands tangled up in his hoodie and he immediately lets go, leaping backwards.

“I’m…” The words get stuck in his throat. “Fuck, I don’t know what came over me.”

Brian doesn’t say anything. No one does. But he and Suzy exchange a solemn look that Danny can’t read.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recognize that Danny is quite the pacifist in real life and he'd never raise a hand towards any of his friends. But you know, being a newly-turned vampire makes you do strange things...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're still in a flashback.

His ears are way too sensitive now.

Danny wants to drown out the conversation going on in the other room, but he can’t help but be privy to it. Headphones are a thing of the past for him now - there’s no comfortable volume anymore. He curls into a ball in the middle of his too-large bed and pulls the blankets down tight over his ears, but it doesn’t help.

“I’m pretty worried about Dan,” Barry is saying. “He hasn’t eaten anything since he was turned.”

Danny doesn’t want to hear this. For the past three days, that’s all anyone will say to him. _Dan, aren’t you hungry? Danny, please eat. Danny, you have to eat something._ Something - as if he has a choice of anything other than blood or raw red meat. The very thought makes his stomach turn with revulsion just as much as it makes it twist with hunger.

Danny curls further into himself and ignores the meek growls coming from his gut. He doesn’t need to eat. He isn’t going to eat. He will be just fine.

The discussion continues.

“I’ve tried to talk to Dan,” Brian says. His tone is marred with bitterness. “He won’t listen to me. He won’t speak to me. He won’t get out of that fucking bed.”

“He’s upset with you, Brian,” Suzy reminds him. “Of course he’s not gonna want to talk to you.”

“Maybe I should try,” Arin suggests. “Maybe he’ll listen to me.”

“By all means, try. I invite you to try.” Frustration and anger are evident in Brian’s words. “He’s not gonna listen.”

“I haven’t talked to him since it happened. I mean, maybe it won’t work but we’ve got to try. He can’t keep on this way.”

There is tense silence. It’s immeasurably loud.

Danny hears Arin stand. He hears Arin walking towards his room. He hears Arin knock on the door and then open it before Dan says anything - not that he was going to.

“Hey, buddy.” Arin’s tone is cautious as he steps inside the room and closes the door behind him. “How ya doin’?”

Danny doesn’t bother to reply.

Arin just keeps talking, sitting on the end of Dan’s bed. He keeps his voice low, as if he is aware of Dan’s sensitive ears. “We haven’t hung out in a long time, man. Not since, uh… I mean, like, it hasn’t been that long but I’ve missed you. I know you’ve been down. We should get together soon and, like, play some games or something. Go to karaoke - uh, well, maybe not karaoke, but go out someplace.”

Danny remains silent, but still Arin soldiers on, if a little more awkwardly this time. “Barry says you haven’t been eating. So, like… why, dude?”

For the first time, Danny speaks. “You already know why.”

Arin sighs. “Listen, dude, I know you don’t want to hear this. But you’ve got to eat.”

“I’m not going to eat, Arin.”

“Dan, don’t be like that.” There’s an edge to Arin’s tone. “Listen, dude. I’m gonna be real. You not eating is super fuckin’ dangerous.”

“What, am I gonna starve to death?” Danny mutters sarcastically. Sounds like a plan to him.

“I’m being serious, Dan. Brian and Suzy haven’t wanted to say anything, but if you don’t eat you could lose your shit and, like, really hurt somebody.”

Danny pushes the blankets off his head and sits up, staring at Arin in disbelief. “What?”

“I mean…” Arin anxiously looks away from Dan. “You’ve heard that, right? You guys _have_ to eat. Otherwise, I guess… I mean, I’m no expert - I’m not a vampire - but, like, your instincts kick in and you could lose control over yourself. You knew that, didn’t you?”

Danny wonders if maybe he did - maybe he’d seen one of those isolated events where a vampire attacked someone in broad daylight in a ravenous frenzy on the news, or read an article about it. Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe before, when that had nothing to do with him, he’d just seen that it had happened to someone else and moved on with his life. It wasn’t something that happened to him, or something that Brian or Suzy did. But now it has everything to do with him and now Arin’s made it real by saying it. It’s dangerous if he doesn’t eat. _Danny’s_ dangerous if he doesn’t eat.

And Arin is still going. “Like, I know you’re really upset about all of this, dude. And I one hundred percent don’t blame you. I’m sorry that things are like this right now, but honestly, Dan? I’m really glad you’re alive and I’ll do anything to help you come to terms with all this and - Dan? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Danny says quietly. He gives Arin a strained smile and watches as he visibly relaxes at the sight. “I just… I gotta do some more thinking. Just give me a little more time, man.”

Arin looks happy. He thinks he’s made a breakthrough. Dan is, despite everything, happy to give him some relief.

But the only thought running through Dan’s head is that he’s dangerous. His _human_ friends are in danger just being around him. Would he drink blood to keep them safe? Danny would like to think he would, except that as he thinks that he has to swallow back a gag and his forced smile wavers.

The very last thing Danny wants to do is hurt anyone, especially not his friends.

His stomach wrenches in hunger. He can’t stay here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a fan of this chapter tbh, but hopefully things will pick up next chapter!!


End file.
